Great African Reads discussion
Group News & Current Activities
>
What are you reading? Or planning to read?
I'm so impressed by the broad knowledge of African literature in this group. I had read very few books by African authors until a few years ago, so am still a semi-novice.I'm reading The Promised Land by Grace Ogot of Kenya now. In December I read The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta of Nigeria and in January I read The Open Door by Latifa Zayyat of Egypt. The Joys of Motherhood may be the book I like best of the three.
Hi! I'm new to the group. I'm always looking for books by African authors that I might enjoy. I've seen some good suggestions on here already.
Mod
- The autobiographic North to Paradise by Ghanaian writer Ousman Umar (original in Spanish)
- The Ardent Swarm by Tunesian author Yamen Manai (original in French)
Offer seems to end on April 27...
Thanks Wim!! have just downloaded both.
Wim wrote: "Amazon is offering ten ebooks in English for free because of World Book Day, of which two are African:- The autobiographic North to Paradise by Ghanaian writer [author:Ousman Umar|..."
Wow Wim, I am from Spain and I met Ousman Umar in a lecture... His story is just amazing, and he talks about his journey with such a profound grief and gratefulness for his present... Have you read the book? I don't know how he writes but he talks with an incredible, uncommon sensitivity.
Mod
I have not read Ousman Umar's book yet, but his story indeed seems very interesting.
It might be a good suggestion for the next West-Africa reads. It is also one of the few African books originally written in Spanish.
A possible suggestion for either the group as a whole - At Night All Blood is Black - which packs a lot into a relatively small number of pages, or for the French readers, the same title (before translation) Frère d'âme.
I just finished
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope which is the memoir of William Kamkwamba a boy who grew up in Malawi and despite incredible challenges built a windmill to supply power and water to his village. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Here is my review
Eswatini (Swaziland)
When the Ground Is Hard. This was a great read set at a boarding school by Malla Nunn who grew up in Eswatini (Swaziland). This is my review.
Western Sahara:
Stories of the Sahara by Sanmao is the story of a Chinese/ Taiwanese adventurer and writer and her time in what was the Spanish Sahara. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
I just read:
The Gilded Ones a YA fantasy by Namina Forna who was born and raised in Sierra Leone. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An empowering feminist read, here is my review
Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide is a powerful a middle grade children’s book, set in 1972 in Entebbe, Uganda. It alternates point-of-view between best friends Asha and Yesofu. The two have been inseparable for as long as they can remember, the only problem is she is Indian and he is African. When President Idi Amin announces that all of Uganda’s 80 thousand Indians have 90 days to leave, the country is thrust into chaos. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Here is my review
House of Stone by Zimbabwean author Novuyo Rosa Tshuma is an award-winning novel covering the history around the decades of the formation of Zimbabwe as a new nation, in particular the Gukurahundi massacres which followed. ⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
The Bleeding of the Stone by award-winning Libyan author Ibrahim al-Koni is a short book about a shepherd living in the Sahara desert. It has strong environmental themes about species extinction and reads like a Bedouin folktale with a dose of magical realism and Sufi mysticism. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Mod
The current issue of the Johannesburg Review of Books has a bunch of links to new short stories by various authors which I thought some of you may appreciate as end of year readings: https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com...
Carolien wrote: "The current issue of the Johannesburg Review of Books has a bunch of links to new short stories by various authors which I thought some of you may appreciate as end of year readings: https://johann..."As always thanks a lot for sharing!!
Palace Walk is the first book in the Cairo Trilogy by Nobel Prize winning Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz. It tells us the story of a Muslim Arab family in Cairo between 1917 and 1919. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
I've read the book Contos folclóricos africanos, Vol. 1, a compilation of african folk tales. It's a bilingual (portuguese-english) edition.
Skin of the Sea is a retelling of the Little Mermaid story by Natasha Bowen. It is set in the 14th century Oyo Empire (modern day Nigeria) during the time of Portuguese slave ships and features black mermaids (Mami Wata), West African mythology, gods and goddesses and a gentle romance. The author is British, of Nigerian and Welsh background. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
I've read the book Contos Africanos dos Países de Língua Portuguesa. A compilation of short stories written by African writers that write in Portuguese.
Hi everyone. I recently read Unimportance by Thando Mgqolozana which I really enjoyed and thought has quite a unique feel.I'm really looking forward to reading Mission to Kala by Mongo Beti soon which sounds entertaining and funny from reviews I've read.
In the Country of Others is a historical fiction by Leïla Slimani set in Morocco in the 1940s and 1950s. It is the story of French woman Mathilda who falls in love with the handsome Moroccan soldier Amine during the war and returns to Morocco with him seeking romance and adventure. Here is my review
oh Rachel! I want to read it just next! I go this Wednesday to a conference given by Leila Slimani in my city of residence! I am so excited
The Spider King's Daughter by Nigerian author Chibundu Onuzo is a romance with elements of suspense and political intrigue. Abike is the daughter of a wealthy Nigerian businessman who falls in love with a handsome but poor street hawker. The book is on the list of 50 Books by African Woman that Everyone Should Read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
In the Company of Men by Ivorian author Véronique Tadjo is a short but powerful book recounting the tragic stories of the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa from multiple points of view. Here is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review
I’m currently reading Timothy M. Aluko’s One Man One Matchet, a very sharp novel of pre-independence Nigerian village politics. I really like the Heinemann African Writers series, and pick up volumes whenever I can.
^ Aluko purposefully only reveals the year, 1949, well into the book. So there was 11 years yet to go before independence, which I am sure felt like a LONG time in the living of it. The characters in the novel who are most anxious to throw off the British yoke will not be satisfied anytime soon, and that knowledge really affects one’s reading of the second half of the book
I've just finished What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky which I highly recommend. Each story was worth reflection and I'm in awe of Lesley Nneka Arimah imagination.
Aya: Love in Yop City is the next installment of the YA graphic novel series by Ivorian author Marguerite Abouet. Set in Côte d’Ivoire in the 1970s it follows the loves and heartbreaks of Aya and her friends, while giving you insight into this part of Africa.⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Just finished "Show your work" and planning to read "Thinking in Systems"
A Girl Called Eel is an unusual stream of consciousness story written by Comorian author Ali Zamir in which a shipwrecked teenage girl in Comoros recounts her life story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
I read By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah, the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature.A moving portrayal of two refugees from Zanzibar whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Much of the novel takes the form of stories that slowly unravel to reveal their past.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
How Beautiful We Were by Cameroonian Imbolo Mbue is about the impact of an environmental disaster on a village in Africa and their response in trying to tackle both their own government and the American oil company responsible. This is a powerful, impacting read with an important message. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Mod
I am also trying to restart this months regional read At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop - it is rather dark and I've not been in a very serious reading place for a while - but I should just do it - it's not even very long (and a prize winner!)
Mod
I am reading
, for one of my local book groups. Takes place during the "Year of Return" in Ghana in late 2019.
I’m reading We Are Your Soldiers: How Gamal Abdel Nasser Remade the Arab World by Alex Rowell. A searing exploration of authoritarianism in the Middle East through the legacy of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s years in power in Cold War–era Egypt.
Publisher—W.W. Norton
Release Date— 11/14/23
I read River Spirit by Leila Aboulela. It is about the Mahdi uprising in Sudan during the 1880s. Told from multiple vantage points to present a panoramic view of the events. Was a little confusing at times because of the multiple view points. Otherwise, good.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tamara wrote: "I read By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah, the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature.A moving portrayal of two refugees from Zanzibar whose lives intertwine in unexpected ..."
He is one of my favorite authors.
Jax wrote: "Tamara wrote: "I read By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah, the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Literature.A moving portrayal of two refugees from Zanzibar whose lives intertwine..."
Jax, I've got his Paradise on my TBR. I hope to get to it soon.
I read Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah, the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. This is the second novel I've read by this author. The novel is about a young boy who is sold as an indentured servant to pay for his father's debts.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio is the first novel by a woman published in Cabo Verde and the first novel translated to English from that country. It is a novel of love and loss, magical realism and mystery. Here is my review
Mod
To complete my personal tour of Africa (Last countries):
Chaka by Thomas Mofolo (Lesotho)
A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir (Comores)
The then:
That Hair by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida
The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
How about you?
Woman at Point Zero is a powerful yet sad feminist story by award-winning Egyptian author and activist Nawal El Saadawi ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Mod
Woman at Point Zero is a powerful yet sad feminist story by award-winning Egyptian author and activist Nawal El Saadawi ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here ..."I really liked that one :)
Anetq wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Woman at Point Zero is a powerful yet sad feminist story by award-winning Egyptian author and activist [author:Nawal El Saadawi|68..."Yes it’s a very moving story
Rachel wrote: "The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio is the first novel by a woman published in Cabo Verde and the first novel trans..."Thanks for this, Rachel Have added it to the list.
Unbowed is a memoir by Kenyan environmental activist and politician Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel prize; a powerful story of struggle, bravery and determination. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Great African Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
The Woman Next Door (other topics)The Shadow King (other topics)
Death and the King's Horseman (other topics)
The Lion and the Jewel (other topics)
Silence of the Chagos (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Yewande Omotoso (other topics)Maaza Mengiste (other topics)
Wole Soyinka (other topics)
Shenaz Patel (other topics)
Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida (other topics)
More...
Welcome on the African journey David - hope you'll join us for some discussions :)